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To: Cactus Jack who wrote (54459)	8/16/2002 11:45:43 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 65232

IMO, James Taylor's new CD is a great one...I just picked it up last night and realized how much I missed his music...Here's what Amazon has to say... Editorial Reviews Amazon.com There's a comfortable sense of the familiar to James Taylor's first collection of new songs since 1997's Grammy winner Hourglass; such is the curse of being a decades-spanning cultural icon. But, as on his best work, there's also an almost stealthy sense of musical restlessness that seeps into Taylor's songs here, as he colors some with deft jazz and international influences. The reunion with producer Russ Titelman (they last collaborated on 1976's In the Pocket) seems to have gratifyingly inspired as much gentle reassessment as retrenchment. Longtime Titelman compatriot Ry Cooder guests on the title track, a song whose autumnal comforts fit the Taylor canon and other album tracks like "September Grass," "Baby Buffalo," "My Traveling Star," and "On the Fourth of July" (the story of Taylor's romantic meeting with current wife Kim) like an old slipper. However, "Belfast to Boston" cries for peace in Ireland and elsewhere with some surprising Gaelic flourishes, while "Whenever You're Ready" throws some Brazilian rhythms and jazzy horns into the mix, and Dave Grusin's slick orchestral arrangement turns "Mean Old Man" into an elegant cabaret surprise. A little more of this musical adventure amidst the familiar romantic ballads and paeans to the comfort of home and family--including a gorgeously spare cover of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"--certainly wouldn't hurt. This deluxe edition features "Benjamin" from Mark O'Connor, Edgar Meyer, and Yo-Yo Ma's Appalachian Journey, Michael Brecker's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," and Mark Knopfler's "Sailing to Philadelphia," as well as interviews with Taylor and Titelman and behind-the-scenes clips of the album's recording. --Jerry McCulley

To: Cactus Jack who wrote (54459)	8/16/2002 10:37:43 PM
From: RR	Respond to of 65232

Thanks, jpg. Glad it was meaningful. RR (eom)

To: Cactus Jack who wrote (54459)	8/20/2002 5:35:01 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 65232

Enron's Kopper Will Plead Guilty and Cooperate, People Say By Anna Marie Stolley and James Rowley Houston, Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Former Enron Corp. executive Michael Kopper agreed to plead guilty to the first criminal charges in the U.S. government's investigation of the energy trader's collapse, people familiar with the case said. Kopper, who managed partnerships for former Enron Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow that were used to hide losses, will plead as soon as tomorrow in federal court in Houston, the people said. The Securities and Exchange Commission will file a related civil complaint against Kopper alleging securities fraud, the people said. The cooperation of Kopper in the Enron investigation may put pressure on Fastow to reach an agreement with prosecutors. Fastow created the partnerships that were used to conceal losses and led to Enron's collapse in the second-largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. Kopper made $10.5 million from his holding in one of the partnerships, according to an investigation by a special committee of Enron's board. A guilty plea by Kopper also would ease the political pressure on the Justice Department's Enron task force, criticized for failing to obtain indictments of any Enron executives in its fraud investigation. Prosecutors have brought charges against executives of WorldCom Inc. and Adelphia Communications Corp., accusing them of falsifying financial statements. ``While a Kopper plea may advance the ball a little bit, the Enron team still has considerable distance to cover to satisfy the public pressure to catch big fish in Enron,'' said Jacob Frenkel, a former SEC enforcement lawyer. ``He should, however, be in a position to shed light on Fastow's role in the partnerships.'' Bryan Sierra, a Justice Department spokesman, declined to comment on the matter. Wallace L. Timmeny, Kopper's lawyer, also declined to comment, as did Gordon Andrew, a spokesman for Fastow. Bank Charges In June, prosecutors detailed evidence against Kopper and Fastow in criminal charges filed against three former employees of National Westminster Bank Plc of the U.K. The three were accused of skimming $7.3 million from one of the partnerships created by the Enron executives. The criminal complaint and affidavit provided details on how Kopper negotiated with the bankers to help them buy a share of the Southampton Place LLC partnership from National Westminster Bank. The complaint alleges that Kopper and Fastow helped the three former bankers dupe National Westminster into selling them the bank's share of the partnership before a hedging transaction was liquidated. The complaint details a series of meetings Kopper had with the defendants and e-mails they exchanged. The investigation by a committee of Enron's board found that Kopper reaped $10.5 million from his $125,000 investment in the Chewco partnership. Kopper also received $2 million in management fees from Chewco, the report said. The investigation could not learn how the payments were determined ``or what, if anything, Kopper did to justify the payments.'' The report faulted Kopper for not disclosing to Enron's board that he had a financial interest in the partnerships. Kopper was required to get a waiver of the company's ethics code to become an investor in the partnerships, the report said.